PE

LATIN AMERICAN DANCES

Cha – Cha – Cha

- In 1953, the Cuban Orchestra America started playing the time-honored danzon with a new
syncopated beat. It sounded like a slow mambo, and Cuban dancers used a slight triple hip
undulation on the slow count. This was change gradually into triple step on the slow count,
thus cha-cha-cha was born. It was introduced in the US in 1954.

Rhythm Slow Slow Quick Quick Slow

2 3 4 and 1

Rumba
- The “international” style Rumba owes and inestimable debt to the Cuban “Guajira”, an earlier
folklore dance, and the name of the points to its rural origin. In the Cuban tradition, the verb
rumbiar simply means to dance, and “Rumba” is a generic term that can refer to a variety of
dances or even a “dance party”.

Rhythm Quick Quick Slow

2 3 4-1

Samba
- The original Brazilian sambas were written in 24 time, but the dance we know today is almost
always played in “cut” time with a syncopated pulsing beat. The rhythm consists of three steps
to two counts of music, which many dancers call step-and-cut.

The Paso Doble

- is a Spanish dance and the movements danced by the man are symbolic of those made by the
torero (or matador) in the bullring. The lady represents the cape and her movements suggest
the cape passes made during a bull fight. The music is played in a March time.

Jive
- The main difference between the Rock n’ Roll and jive is that Jive is danced in what is called
Triple Rhythm while Rock n’ Roll uses “quick a quick” rhythm in place of “Slow” rhythm. The
music is written in 44 time, and two different rhythms form its basis.
 INTERNATIONAL FOLK DANCING

Some international dance terms:

 Address partner - Same as honor your partner or bow to your partner.

 Allemande left - The boy turns to the girl at his left and takes her L hand in his L hand and
turns her once around counterclockwise, then both falling back to places.

 Allemande right - The boy faces his partner, takes her right hand in his right hand and turns
her once around clockwise, then falling back to places.

 Bow/ saludo - Partners bow to each other, to opposite dancer or to the audience. This is of
Spanish origin.

 Cabeceras - The couples occupying the width of the dance floor in a square formation.

 Cast off - When dancers are in long formation, the leader or the head couple counter
marches outward to the end of the line where the last couple was, then counter-march inward
to proper places.

 Circle left and right - The designated couples or dancers join hands and walk to left with light
springy steps clockwise and then to the right counter clockwise, falling to home positions.

 Costados - The couples occupying the length of the dance floor in a square formation.
 Cross over - Two couples are facing each other, each couple proceeds in a straight line to the
opposite place. The girls pass by their L shoulders between the boys. Boys bow to each other
when the meet at the middle or about one-third of the way, then proceed to the opposite
place. Upon reaching the opposite place, partners turnabout; girls stand at partner’s left
shoulder.

 Draw - The free foot is drawn toward the supporting foot, by pressing the toes against the
floor as the close is made, with or without transfer of weight.

 Do-si-do - Two people walk towards each other, pass by the right shoulders, step sideward to
the right, and walk backward passing by left shoulders to original position.

 Elbow swing - Two dancer link right elbows and swing clockwise with either springy walking
steps or buzz steps.

 Home position - The couples’ original position in a set.

 Folded arms – Arm’s raised in front at shoulder level, with one forearm on top of the other.

 Place - To put the foot flat on the floor in any desired position without putting weight on it.

 Promenade - Partners are side by side, L shoulders toward the center holding in a skating
position (R hands joined over the joined L hands) at waist level or in varsouvienne position;
they walk around in a counterclockwise direction until they reach their home position.

 Set - A unit formation of two or more couples.

 Star right and left - Also known as Mill or Wheel Right and Left. Dancers put their R hands in
the center and walk around clockwise, and at the caller’s command, they turn right about, put
the Left hands in the center and walk counterclockwise

Some examples of European folk dances:

 Arkadsky
- is a very lively dance for big men due to the characteristic gesture of the arms and the
energetic steps inherent among Russian dancers.
 Bavarian landler
- is a traditional dance of farmers in Alemania.

 Barbary bell
- is an old-fashioned country dance among the village people in England.

 Bleking
- is a vigorous dance named after the province of Bleking in Sweden, where it is popular
among the peasants.

 Czardas Csarda
- or Czarda means “village inn”. The Czardas derived its name from the peasant dances
performed outside the village inns. Gypsy musicians popularized the Czardas. These
tunes and dances are divided into 2 parts: a slow stately part and a quick part called
“frishka”.

 Cshebogar
- is a Hungarian “grief dance”

 Danish dance of greetings

- is a simple dance showing the national traits of the Danish people – friendly, kind, and
helpful.

 Dutch couple dance

- is a humorous dance of Holland depicting how the boy teasingly asks a bite from an
apple.

 Highland fling
- is a vigorous folk dance from Scotland especially adapted for boys.

 Irish lilt
- is a very lively dance especially suitable for girls.

 Kalvelis
- is an occupational dance which means “little smith” where the clapping of the hands
suggest the hammer and the anvil of the blacksmith.

 La petite ukrainienne
- The peasant population of Ukraine, sometimes called “Little Russia” is very fond of
dancing and this little dance gives a simplified version of the way they do it when fairs
or festivals draw them together in merry-making.

 Norwegian mountain march

- is a dance from Norway that depicts mountain climbing with the boy at the center as
guide of the two girls behind him.

 Oyda
- is a dance which is a good example of round dances performed in the earlier centuries

 Puttjenter
- originated in the province of Westphalia, is a popular dance among the peasants of
Germany.

 Rheinlander for three

- is a German couple dance that grown out of the youthful enthusiasm and creativeness
of an east Prussian youth group.
 Swedish clap dance
- from Sweden is another example of a round dance in its polished form.

 Tropanka
- is Bulgarian stamping dance.

 Varsovienne
- is a German delightful dance for girls.